Senators vs Ducks: Round 4, Game 4

Ducks 3, Senators 2


PRESIDENT’S 2 CENTS: You can’t win a Stanley Cup by taking two periods off. Might sound a little harsh, but the score did flatter the Sens somewhat (the Ducks struck iron three times), as the hockey, er, hotbed of California is on the verge of celebrating its first championship. For the second Cup final loss in a row, rain fell on the Capital and has put quite a damper on such a promising season that now hangs in the balance. Similar to the team’s turnaround after an 18-18-1 sputter to start the season, a turnaround of epic proportions—in proportion—needs to happen now. There will be plenty to think about on the five-hour flight to Anaheim tomorrow, but it will all add up to one thing: a glorious and missed opportunity. All three losses the Sens have suffered in the final have been by one goal, whether the score flattered them or not … In this dark hour, let’s roll back the clock one year for some Canadian inspiration: Edmonton, down 3-1 in its series vs. Carolina, storms back in double OT off Fernando Pisani’s hot stick. 3-2. Series shifts back to Edmonton, where the Oilers absolutely manhandle their way to a decisive 4-0 victory, making the whole thing a best-of-one. The Hurricanes squeaked out Game 7, of course, on an empty-netter to win the game 3-1, but it could have gone either way. All this to say, the Sens have it in them to shift momentum on the road, in similar fashion, in a pivotal Game 5. The cruel irony is that former Oiler Chris Pronger is on the other side of the ice … Speaking of the elbow artist, the Ducks showed incredibly resiliency without him last night. Second star Francois Beauchemin was fantastic, playing a game-high 31:40, blocking three shots and registering three. His only real blunder came early in the third where he appeared a little tired and took a penalty for dropping Peter Schaefer with his free hand after allowing the Sens’ stickhandle artist to gain the zone … Speaking of the zone, especially in the final period the Ducks were all over the Sens and seemed to have at least one guy on every Senator who dared go in deep. Problem was, there didn’t always seem to be enough getting in there. No example was more glaring than with about 30 seconds left, where Dany Heatley didn’t seem to hustle in as hard as possible to take one last desperate effort … In a nutshell: Sens have it in them to win three straight. They beat the league’s top scorer, top goalie, and highest-scoring team in five games apiece. They’re simply facing a different beast. Only problem is, their margin of error is hovering around zero now …

… So Andy McDonald burns the Sens again with two on the night. That’s three in two games now, and you know he wasn’t going to forget hitting that crossbar only minutes before when a gaping 6x4 stared him in the face. Bad ice aside, how the heck do you miss a chance like that? … Official Presidential Opinion: yup, Alfie did fire a shot across the bow to sitting Duck Scott Niedermayer. Controversial as it was, here’s one thing to think about – if the puck had hit him in the face, that prized playoff beard would have safely and entirely absorbed it. Humour aside, that gave the Ducks an unsolicited edge … So much for the absence of Chris Pronger making a difference. The Ducks are now over .500, regular season included, without him in the lineup. Worst part? Sens really could have used the lightning-quick Dean McAmmond tonight to not only jump-start a subdued forecheck effort, but also on the defensive end. You wonder what would have happened if McAmmond was on the ice when Dustin Penner zoomed to the net to receive the fateful one-timed feed. Would the fastest-skating Senator have made a difference? You make the call … Speaking of calls, it appeared from the opening minute that the slash Chris Neil drew from Beauchemin would make this one a carbon copy of Game 3. A heck of a first-period display ensued, with the Ducks not striking Ray Emery until less than ten minutes remained. Antoine Vermette’s 360-degree spin midway through, followed by an assault on Jean-Sebastien Giguere, was the highlight of a Sens storm in which the home team dominated on both ends. On one particular play in Ottawa’s corner, Ducks F Todd Marchant seemed to give up on trying to pressure Chris Phillips into a giveaway. On the other end, Alfie was on the receiving end of a pretty tic-tac-toe play. No dice. You had the feeling throughout the period—at least four or five times—when will this thing go in? When Alfie finally did score with less than a second left, the deflating feeling that the visiting team is supposed to have heading into the second simply did not happen. Hats off to the Ducks’ resiliency …

… Despite being caught out of position (not his fault) on a bad change which led to the Penner game-winner, Wade Redden is normally an excellent positional player. He’s in the right place at the right time, especially when it comes to making that first pass and holding the line on the power play, but the hustle still is not consistent enough. It’s the Stanley Cup final … There weren’t too many highlights for the Sens in that awful second period, but they still did prevent the Ducks from converting with the extra man. Notably, Alfie actually almost stopped the first McDonald goal from happening with fantastic pressure on Beauchemin and forced the puck out on the next play. Unfortunately, two goals in two minutes by the same guy will take the wind out of any sails … Speaking of sails, it appeared to be clear sailing after Bryan Murray changed their direction by shuffling the lines. Patrick Eaves, whose sweater Jason Spezza wore briefly the game before, fed Heatley in Spezztacular fashion to tie the sucker. What a great sigh of relief that was, to finally hear “The Heat is On” at the Bank again. Razor made two great glove saves before that too… However, in the third, the Ducks’ attention to detail was excellent. Random example? Mike Comrie causes a turnover, jumps on the biscuit and heads to the net. Tiny Mike is immediately surrounded by three hustling Ducks. Another random example? The trap starts with about 12:17 left. It’s like a plague, and you can bet the elder Niedermayer brought it over from New Jersey, where it originated … Another muggy night in the Capital caused ice problems and trips all over the place. Giggy had to leave the Ducks’ net, Chris Phillips needed repairs, and Joe Corvo ran into defence partner Tom Preissing in the first period. The gates opened at 5:30 again, and maybe that should stop …

… Official Presidential Rant: as the melee ensued following the captain’s beaning of Niedermayer, a spectator sporting a Leafs jersey in the front row was spotted on camera. WHY do people wear Leafs, Habs, or any other non-participating team’s jersey to Sens games? At Game 4 vs. Buffalo, a young girl was spotted wear Tie Domi’s jersey, perhaps hoping he’d get signed by the Sabres before puck drop. Also vs. Buffalo in that January tilt where Heater got a hat trick, an entire family of five was sporting Habs apparel. People: even if the Sens are your second-favourite team or something, stop sporting other colours! Oh well, at the end of the day, team owner Eugene Melnyk is happy to have those confused fans’ ticket money, as the team appears headed towards its first operating profit in history … On that subject, it’s important to remember Bruce Firestone and the rest of the original owners who each put up hefty sums of money—which they would never see again—to see the NHL’s return through. And let’s also not forget Rod Bryden, who lost over $40 million of his own money to keep this team afloat through the pre-salary cap, crappy Canadian dollar years. Hats off, gentlemen …

… The NBC/CBC simulcast of that second intermission show was the best pundit-ertainment in recent memory, with Don Cherry and Brett Hull squaring off. Best part, obviously, was the exchange about Alfie’s controversial Game 3 goal. “No he didn’t,” said Grapes, defending the captain. “It hit the inside part of his skate.” Brett Hull flatly disagreed, to which Grapes responded: “You should talk, (with) your foot in the crease,” referring to Hull’s own Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1999 over the Sabres that should not have counted. Not only did he put Brett in his place, he also scored another perfect 10 in the 2 Cents’ Don Cherry Suit Rating. That cream suit with the bold black pinstripes, coupled with a red corsage, was killer. To top it off, bringing on Gen. Rick Hillier of the Canadian Forces was a nice touch. He’s a pretty good hockey analyst too … Bob Cole Line of the Night: you could swear he almost certainly said “two-line offside” on a long Anton Volchenkov pass attempt. Brain freeze perhaps, but you’d think even Mr. Cole might not say that, two years into the rule change … Billy Talent’s “Red Flag” was an excellent Sens-themed musical choice for the HNIC opening montage … Speaking of music, Alanis Morrissette is now 1-1 at Sens games singing the anthem. Constable Slewidge should have sung, plain and simple … Last but not least: swallow your pride Sens fans, and look back to the 1942 Leafs (yes, the Leafs) for inspiration as the last team to come back from being down 3-1 to win the Cup. In fact, the Leafs were down 3-0 to the Red Wings, who actually invited the Leafs to their victory party. Now while there won’t be any such locker room bulletin-board material like that this time around, take this to heart: It’s either been a Canadian team or Detroit that’s won every year with seven as the last digit. Detroit is golfing, and this series has to go seven games in 2007 for the Sens to win. Will it be a lucky seven? Stay tuned, Sens fans, and keep the faith now more than ever for what is easily (and in obvious painful fashion) the toughest test of the season.